The present disclosure relates to transporting fluid product in individual bottles or containers that are stacked and/or bundled together, and more particularly to a bottle and associated method that increases stability in dynamic conditions associated with such bottles and shipping of same. The disclosure finds particular application in connection with transporting liquid product such as dairy (e.g., milk), water, juices and related products (e.g., soy milk), although it may also find application in non-food and liquid products, e.g., liquid detergents, soaps, oil, etc.
It is generally known to transport fluid product stored in individual bottles that are disposed in a stacked array, for example, on a pallet for shipping purposes. A commercially successful system, as shown and described in commonly owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,068,161; 6,247,507; and 6,371,172—Soehnlen, et al., eliminates use of external cases (e.g., milk crates) by providing strengthening ribs or flutes in the bottle that extend in a substantially vertical direction from adjacent a first or upper wall or surface to a location adjacent a second or lower wall or surface. The strengthening ribs are designed to carry vertical loads in the sidewall from the top wall to the bottom wall. The ribs are designed to be rigid structures to carry the load much like columns in a building. In this way, loads are transferred through the bottles from an upper stacked layer of filled bottles to a lower stacked layer of filled bottles, and/or directly to a pallet without the use of cases.
As a part of the design of the system, substantially planar regions are formed in the top and bottom walls or surfaces of the bottle that cooperate with vertically extending ribs/flutes, the handle, and corners formed between adjacent sidewalls to transfer the load from the top to the bottom wall of each bottle. This parallelepiped design allows the bottles to be stacked one atop the other and more effectively convey vertical forces or loads through the sidewalls. Oftentimes, one of the ribs extends from the top surface and terminates in the sidewall just above the bottom wall of the bottle.
A container opening is formed in the top wall for introducing fluid content into the bottle and also dispensing a fluid therefrom, and the container opening is preferably located adjacent one of the corners, typically opposite from the location of the handle located in an opposite corner. Because the bottle container opening is located adjacent one of the corners i.e. adjacent the perimeter, conventional filling equipment is modified to reposition the filler over the bottle opening. This can lead to a significant capital expenditure to modify or substitute conventional filling equipment to accommodate this arrangement.
The caseless shipping system has proved to be a substantial and commercially successful improvement in the dairy industry, for example, where substantial cost has been eliminated over a bottle design and system that has existed for over 60 years. The incorporation of the load carrying ribs/flutes into the plastic bottle has limited the use of cases, and simultaneously reduced the amount of resin used per unit volume.
The need exists for continued improvement. For example, reduced resin content is always desirable. Increased stability for both static and particularly dynamic conditions is also desirable, and specifically the ability to improve handling of lateral load and pressure. Adaptation of a system to conventional filler would also result in a substantial cost savings.